Speaker Crackle

[KHitman]

Any of you guys have your speakers start to crackle at higher volumes when you installed a new stereo head unit? I put in a pretty good Kenwood and now the speakers crackle at higher volumes using the same amplifier and speakers. I can't understand what might be wrong.

 

[GTSnake]

It could be that the speaker is blown or just can't handle the power. Usually aftermarket amps put out more power and the stock speakers can't handle it. The stock speakers are really cheap. They only cost the OEM like $3-6.00 a piece.

If it's crackling on just one side it may a damaged cone. If it crackles from both sides then it's probably the power handling.

 

[Saint_Spinner]

Mine does the same thing. GTSnake...are you telling me that if I go to the Dodge Dealership theyre gonna sell me replacement speakers for cheap??!! That's unheard off!! What happened to Viper tax?

 

[KHitman]

Hmmmm... I was just surprised that they started doing that with the same stock amplifier. They were fine when I pulled the stock deck out.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< I can't understand what might be wrong. >>

what is wrong is - the stock speakers are JUNK. they are just paper, and not very good paper at that.

if you have upgraded your head unit, you will need to upgrade your speakers too.

 

[KHitman]

Another excuse to upgrade the car!

 

[Viperbass]

You will find as you upgrade stereo components, you will hear the imperfections or short comings of the remaining stock components. The stock amplifier that comes in the car is junk. They may say Alpine, but they are actually Alpine "made for Dodge". You will be hard pressed to find any serial number of an OE unit of any manufacturer available for after market purchase at a stereo store. The Viper amps are modelled after a long ago discontinued Alpine amp. I agree with the previous speaker evaluations too. I have gutted my Viper and replaced every stereo component. Unfortunately, due to the layout of a Viper and speaker placement, you will have a hard time making any stereo sound really great. Even with time correction, the speakers will not come alive due to their placement in the car.

The crackling is probably either the amp or a blown speaker as mentioned earlier. If you replace the amp remember that it is better to overpower a speaker than to under power. Just don't crank the stereo or you can blow your speakers. More power lets your amp run easier and provides tighter low end bass.

I know there is someone out there going to say that some stereos you need to crank to get the full spectrum from the amp. However, this is only with tube amplifiers and I have not seen any of those available for cars!

Cheers!

 

[GTSnake]

Mine does the same thing. GTSnake...are you telling me that if I go to the Dodge Dealership theyre gonna sell me replacement speakers for cheap??!! That's unheard off!! What happened to Viper tax?

There's no way that's the price you would pay. The $3 price is what they get it for. Dealer price would be in the $20-30 range plus labor at $75/hr.

There could be a variety of reasons why it crackles. It could be that the power output exceeds the rating of the speaker or that the EQ is not tuned for the system. Basically the system is "JUNK" as Big put it. Unless you have a concours car the first thing I would do and did is rip it out. All of it.

 

[KHitman]

Thanks for the advice guys! I actually contemplated putting the old head unit back in since I could get it louder, but now I think I just need to take the plunge and upgrade everything.

Did you guys change your wires when you gutted your systems? The speaker wires seem pretty damn small.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< Did you guys change your wires when you gutted your systems? >>

personally i wanted to spend my money on mods, and little money on the stereo. i kept the stock head unit and amp, and only replaced the speakers. just doing that made a big enough difference for my music tastes. (i like to hear the engine instead the majority of the time).

replacing the speakers with better quality speakers allowed me to keep the stock speaker wires. quick, cheap, and very effective.

 

[Viperbass]

I replaced all speaker wiring with high quality braided cables. These cars have a history of alternator whine coming through the speakers and I had to experiment with a couple different cables before I was satisfied. From what I understand, if you replace your plug wires with larger wires you are guaranteed to get a small amount of whine.

On the other hand, some people cannot hear it and it does not bother them. My ears have been trained to listen for such things and it drives me up the wall.

 

[02ViperTodd]

Just a note of caution. When I bought my car the previous owner upgraded the cable. The cable going to the door speakers was large enough to cause other wires to break about every 6 months. All the door wires go through the same harness. I wish I had the smaller speaker cable and will probably be splicing some in at least where the wires go through the harness thingy.
Todd

 

[GTSnake]

You don't really need much larger wires. As ViperTodd indicated if you run larger wires you WILL break the other wires in the harness as it runs through the door jams. I've kept the stock wiring and it sounds fine. I don't hear any alternator whine or interference. Although I did change my spark plug wires to Magnecores.

 

[94RT10Ohio]

My center speakers were bad. I did not upgrade amps or head unit, but did replace the center speakers with a relativly cheap (Sony Explode 4 ways) speakers ($50). It made a world of difference, even with the other stock equipment. Plus they are red and look good through the grills.